Torque converter



Nov. 10, 1953 Filed April 18, 1950 R. H. BROWN TORQUE CONVERTER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Bra 1072 m BY ATTORNEY INVENTOR Nov 10, 1953 Filed April 18, 1950 R. H. BROWN TORQUE CONVERTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TORQUE CONVERTER Robert H. Brown, Eulaski, Tenn.

Application Apri1'18, 1950, Serial No. 156,705

1 Claim. i

This invention relates to torque converters and moreparticularly to torque converters adapted to be disposed in horizontal Working position.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a torque converter of the character indicated above comprising an inner rotary member and an outerrotary member, each of said members being adapted to be used selectively as the driving or the driven member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a torque converter of thecharacter indicated above the two members of which are assembled one within the other and are adapted to be retatedindependently from each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a torque converter of the character indicated above the assembled rotary members of which are rotatably mounted in a casing connected with a reservoir adapted to contain a fluid, such as oil, and adapted to communicate with the space between the inner and the outer rotary members through a normally closed inlet valve arranged in the wall common to the reservoir and the easing and a plurality of openings provided in the outer wall of the outer rotary member, and through an outlet opening provided in the wall common to the reservoir and the housing and a plurality of normally closed outlet valves arranged in the peripheral wall of the outer rotary member.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a torque converter of the character indicated above the torque ratio between the driven and the driving member ofwhich is adapted to be regulated by adjusting the'inlet and outlet valves.

Another object of the invention is to provide a; torque converter of the character indicated above the driven rotary member of which is adapted to-be started quickly by orto be released quickly from the driving member.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved torque converter whereby certain advantages are attained; as will'be hereinafter more fully setforth'.

In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a-view in section taken on the longitudinal center plane of a torque converter-in accordancewith the invention;

Figure 2' isa view in section taken on the line 2-2 in Figure-l;

FigureS is a view'in section taken on the line 3 -3' in Figure 1'; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail view in an en;- larged scale of the means for adjusting'the outlet valves.

The torque converter as herein embodied comprises a casing C one end portion of which, hereinafter called the front end portion I0, is substantially tubular. The intermediate portion H of the peripheral wall of the casing C extends conically from the front end portion I0 and the rear end portion 12 of said. Wall. extends rearwardly parallel to the axis of the casing C. The casing C has a. removable rear wall l'3 secured to and extending at right angles to therear end portion 12 of the peripheral wall of the casing and centrally of the rear wall l3' a rearwardly extending tubular flange M is formed on said rear wall and communicates with the interior of the casing C. A ball race l5 isformed in the inner surface of the tubularflange l4 intermediate the ends thereof.

A base plate It is formed on the rear end portion I21 of the peripheral wall of the casing C. The bottom surface of said base plate extends parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the casingand the base plate is adapted to support said casing. A pair of legs l1 extend between the front end portion 50 of the peripheral wall of the casing C and'the base-plate 1'6.

An outer rotary member 0 has an annular rear endportion it", a conical' intermediate portion l9 and a cylindrical front end portion 20; A stub shaft 2! is formed on the front end portion 2!] and extends coaxiallyforward therefrom.

A ball bearing 22' is inserted in the tubular front end portion l E! of'the casing C and the. stub shaft 21 extends rotatably through said ball bearing 22 so that the outer rotary'member O is rotatably supportediby'theball bearing 22.

Forwardly and rearwardly' of the ball bearing 22, oil retaining rings 23 and 24 respectively are arranged between the tubular front end member H] of the casing C and the stub shaft 2i of the outer rotary'member 0. On the forward end portion of the stub shaft 2! extending beyond the tubular front end portion Ill a gear 25 or the like is rigidly mounted. The hollow cylindrical frontend portion 29 of the outer rotary'memberO extends rearwardly'through the tubular front end portion it of the casing C; the conical intermediate portion It of the outer rotary member extends parallel to the intermediate portion I I of the casing" C and is spaced therefrom. and the annular rear end portion E8 of the outer rotary member- 0 extends parallel to and: isv spaced: from the rear-end portion 12 o-ffthe'casing.

A reservoir R is formed on or secured. to the upper portion of the casing C and has a top wall 25, a bottom wall 21, a side wall 28, and an end wall 25. The end wall 28 extends upwardly from the wall of the tubular front end portion [I of the casing C and the wall of said front end portion 58 forms a part of a wall common to the reservoir R and the casing C dividing them from each other.

In the tubular front end portion I8 an inlet valve opening 38 is provided, the outer edge of which is beveled to form a valve seat 3|. In the top wall 26 of the reservoir R a hole 32 is provided coaxially with the inlet valve hole 30.

An outwardly extending annular flange 33 and an inwardly extending annular flange 34 are formed on the top wall 26 and surround the hole 82. A bushing 35 is inserted in the hole 32 and a valve stem 36 extends slidably through said bushing. An inlet valve head 3! is secured to the inner end portion of the valve stem 35 and is adapted to engage the valve seat 3!. A helical spring 38 surrounds the inner annular flange 34 and the valve stem 31, and the outer end portion of said spring abuts the inside surface of the top wall 25 while the inner end portion of the spring 38 engages a disc 39 mounted rigidly on the valve stem 85, thereby normally urging the valve head 31 into valve closing position. A spool 48 having end flanges 4| and 42 respectively, is rigidly mounted on the upper end portion of the valve stem 36 extending outwardly of the guide bushing 35.

A plurality of inlet holes 43 are provided in the peripheral wall of the hollow cylindrical front end portion 28 of the outer rotary member and said holes 48 are of the same diameter as the inlet valve hole 38 and are arranged equidistantly from each other so that they will be arranged coaxially with the valve hole 38 when passing under said hole.

An oil retaining ring 44 is disposed between the tubular front end portion In and the hollow cylindrical front end portion 28 in front of the inlet holes A8 and a similar ring 45 is disposed between the two front end portions rearwardly of said holes.

A hollow 48 extends coaxially into the stub shaft 2! from the end of the bore of the hollow cylindrical front end portion 2a and a ball bearing 41 is inserted in said hollow 45.

On the inner surface of the conical intermediate portion 18 of the outer rotary member 0- a plurality of axially extending equidistantly spaced vanes 48 are formed.

An inner rotary member T is formed substantially conical and is adapted to be arranged inside the outer rotary member 0. A bore 49 extends centrally through the inner rotary member T and a shaft 59 extends through said bore .9 and the inner rotary member T is secured to said shaft 55] by means of a key 5i, or the like. The shaft 55 extends forwardly beyond the inner rotary member T, and the foremost end portion of said shaft 58 is reduced as at 52 and is rotatably supported by the ball bearing 41 when the inner rotary member T is disposed in working position in the outer rotary member 0. A plurality of coaxially extending equidistantly spaced vanes 53 are formed on the peripheral surface of the inner rotary member T and are shaped so that they can pass the vanes 48 on the outer rotary member 0.

A rear cover 54 is removably secured to the annular rear end portion I8 of the outer rotary member 0 and has a centrally located tubuwith the valve seat formed by the hole 6|.

lar portion 55 extending rearwardly therefrom and through the tubular flange 14 on the casing C. A ball race 58 is formed in the inner surface of the tubular end portion 55 oppositely to the ball race I5 and a plurality of balls 51 are disposed in the two cooperating ball races.

An annular flange 58 is formed on the peripheral edge of the rear cover 54 so that the forward surface of said flange abuts the rear surface of the annular rear end portion I8.

Another annular forwardly extending flange 59 is formed coaxially with the flange 58 on the cover 54 and a third annular flange 58 is formed on the front surface of the cover 54 coaxially with the axis of the tubular portion 55. A plurality of countersunk outlet valve holes 6| are provided equidistantly from each other in the annular flange 58. In the flange 59 a plurality of guide bores 62 are provided coaxially with the outlet valve holes BI and in the flange 80 a plurality of guide bores 53 are arranged coaxially with the guide bores 82.

In each pair of coaxial bores 62 and 63 a valve stem 64 is slidably disposed. On the outer end portion of each valve stem 84 an outlet valve head 55 is mounted and is adapted to engage the corresponding countersunk valve hole Bl. Adjacent to the annular flange 88 and between this flange and the annular flange 59 a stop pin 66 extends through each valve stem 64 and a helical spring 61 surrounding each of these stems abuts the annular flange 59 with one of its end portions and the stop pin 66 with the other end portion, urging the valve head in engagement The inner end portion of each valve stem 64 extends into the space surrounded by the annular flange 88 and is rounded.

A counterbore 68 is provided in the rear surface of the inner rotary member T and a bore 89 extends into the shaft 58 from its rear end. A conical sleeve In is mounted slidably on the shaft 50, which is provided with a longitudinal slot 'H extending diametrically through said shaft. A pin 12 extends through the slot H and is located in a counterbore 13 extending into the conical sleeve 18 from its larger rear end surface. A stop ring 14 is pressed into the counterbore l3 securing the pin 12 in position. A helical spring '55 disposed in the forward end portion of the bore 89 in the shaft 50 urges the pin 12 against the rear end of the slot H. A guide bushing 16 is inserted in the rear end portion of the bore 59 and a push rod 11 is arranged slidably in said guide bushing. The forward end of said push rod ll abuts the pin 12.

The shaft 50 extends rearwardly beyond the tubular flange l of the casing C and a longitudinal slot 18 is provided in said shaft rearwardly of said flange and extends diametrically through said shaft. A pin 19 extends through the slot 18 and the end portions of the pin 19 are located in a counterbore provided in the rear surface of a spool 8| slidably mounted on the shaft 58. A plug ring 82 in the counterbore 88 secures the pin 19 in position. The rear end of the push rod 11 abuts the pin 19 under the pressure of the helical spring 15.

A bracket 83 is secured to the peripheral surface of the tubular flange I4 of the casing C and extends rearwardly therefrom. A hand lever 84 is pivotally connected with the bracket 83 and has a bifurcated inner end portion 85 engaging the spool 8| so that said spool can be moved lengthwise on the shaft 50 by manipulating the hand lever 84. When said hand lever 84 is pivoted to move the spool 8| forwardly on the shaft 50 the push rod 11 urges the conical sleeve forwardly engaging the valve stems 64 and forcing them to slide outwardly and to unseat the valve heads 65.

On the rear end portion of the shaft 50 a gear 86 is rigidly mounted and an oil retaining ring 81 is arranged between the tubular flange 14 of the casing C and the rearwardly extending tubular portion 55 of the rear cover 54 rearwardly of the ball races I 5 and 56.

The top Wall 26 is tightly connected with the removable rear wall l3 of the casing C and an opening 88 is provided in the rear end portion l2 of the peripheral wall of the outer rotary member O. This opening 88 is disposed so that it will be coaxial with the outlet valve openings 6| passing under it when the inner rotary member T is rotated.

A filling opening 89 is provided in the top wall 26 of the reservoir R to permit said reservoir to be filled with a suitable fluid such as oil. A plug 90 is adapted to be inserted into the inlet 89 to prevent entrance of foreign matter and to reduce evaporation of liquid.

The above described torque converter can be used by optionally utilizing the outer rotary member O or the inner rotary member T as driving member. The selected member is connected with a source of power (not shown) actuating the gear mounted on the shaft of the selected member. Then the inlet valve 31 is opened by manipulating the spool 4G by means of a hand lever (not shown). Oil flows from the reservoir into the space between the inner and the outer rotary member and the oil is forced by the vanes on the drivin member to flow in circular motion. The oil transfers this motion to the driven member by pressing against the vanes of said driven member.

The ratio of torque set up between the two rotary members and the speed of the driven member can be regulated by opening inlet valve 3! and the outlet valves 55 to a certain degree and the desired degree of opening of the outlet valves 65 is attained by manipulating the hand lever 84 to adjust the position of the conical sleeve 10.

The driven member is adapted to be stopped without stopping the driving member by closing the inlet valves 31, whereby the flow of oil into the space between the driven and the driving member is interrupted and the oil in said space is forced by centrifugal force through the outlet valves 65 and the outlet opening 88 into the reservoir. Any oil collecting between the casing C and the outer rotary member 0 or the rear end cover of said member is prevented from leaking out by the oil retaining rings 23, 24, 44, 45 and 81.

In order to assist the flow of oil through the outlet opening 88 and to clean out any oil left in the casing C a scoop 9| is formed on the peripheral-surface of the flange 58 adjacent to each outlet valve hole 61 in counterclockwise direction as shown best in Figure 2.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that an improved torque converter constructed in accordance with the present invention is particularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated.

I claim:

In a torque converter, a casing of substantially conical form having its apex end terminating in a hollow cylindrical extension, at fluid reservoir extending laterally from the upper sides of said casing and the cylindrical extension, a hollow substantially conical outer rotary member having a hollow cylindrical hub extending from its apex end into the first extension, a shaft extending axially through said casing and said hub, a second substantially conical member within the first member and splined on said shaft for rotation therewith relatively to the latter member, a plurality of vanes on the opposed surfaces of said members, said hub having a circumferential series of ports to establish communication between the same and said reservoir through an outlet port in the first extension for the passage of the fluid into and through the hub to said vanes, a control valve for said outlet port, the opposite end of the first member being closed by an end wall spaced from the adjacent end of said second member to form a fluid receiving chamber therebetween, said chamber having a circumferential series of outlet ports to establish communication between the same and the interior of said casing which is provided with an inlet port for the return of the fluid to the reservoir, a radially movable valve for controlling the discharge of the fluid from the chamber through each of said outlet ports, means on said shaft for actuating said radially movable valves, and selective means for driving said members one relative to the other.

ROBERT H. BROWN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,136,168 Rich Apr. 20, 1915 1,191,231 Rich July 18, 1916 1,203,265 Radcliffe Oct. 31, 1916 1,940,918 Petroni et al. Dec. 26, 1933 2,088,818 Skinner Aug. 3, 1937 2,466,431 Jendresen Apr. 5, 1949 

